Sue Lambert and her husband David run Kite Haven Olive Oil, producing a range of extra virgin olive oils, as well as seven flavours of infused oil from their 500 olive trees. Photo: Steph Thornborrow A NEW coffee table cookbook released this week celebrates the farmers and chefs working hard to make Bass Coast a foodie destination.
Over the Bridge features more than 30 stories, recipes and hundreds of photos, including landscape shots of the island and surrounding ocean.
Author Sarah Hudson said the 200-plus-page book offered a different perspective on Phillip Island and the Waterline communities, away from the usual tourist attractions.
“Phillip Island hasn’t always been known for its food, with fish and chips probably our signature dish for the past few decades,” she said.
“But there are chefs in this region who are working hard to put our coast on a plate. They are sourcing local ingredients, even foraging on the clifftop for Australian bush foods such as saltbush, and they’re celebrating provenance, and their own traditions, including migrant heritage.”
Over the Bridge features more than 30 stories, recipes and hundreds of photos, including landscape shots of the island and surrounding ocean.
Author Sarah Hudson said the 200-plus-page book offered a different perspective on Phillip Island and the Waterline communities, away from the usual tourist attractions.
“Phillip Island hasn’t always been known for its food, with fish and chips probably our signature dish for the past few decades,” she said.
“But there are chefs in this region who are working hard to put our coast on a plate. They are sourcing local ingredients, even foraging on the clifftop for Australian bush foods such as saltbush, and they’re celebrating provenance, and their own traditions, including migrant heritage.”
Sarah teamed up with photographer Steph Thornborrow, working around lockdown and Covid restrictions to create the book.
It was the stories behind the restaurants, chefs and the farm gates that intrigued her.
“We all drive past farms, whether it’s Ventnor or Rhyll, love the landscapes they offer but don’t necessarily know what’s going on behind the farm gate,” she said.
“This book is about supporting food with a postcode: local, seasonal, and low emission. The likes of Daylesford, the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula always get the food attention in Victoria, but now it’s our turn.”
It was the stories behind the restaurants, chefs and the farm gates that intrigued her.
“We all drive past farms, whether it’s Ventnor or Rhyll, love the landscapes they offer but don’t necessarily know what’s going on behind the farm gate,” she said.
“This book is about supporting food with a postcode: local, seasonal, and low emission. The likes of Daylesford, the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula always get the food attention in Victoria, but now it’s our turn.”
 Over the Bridge is on sale at the Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser, participating businesses, Turn the Page Bookshop, and Bass Coast Visitor Information Centres and pisra.com.au/over-the-bridge. RRP: $44.95 | Farmers interviewed include Phillip Island Strawberries’ Roger Morris, who innovatively grows the fruit with one arm, following a workplace accident. Other stories include the Bismires of Cape Woolamai, a keen surfing family who run Ocean Reach Brewing, even sourcing saltwater from their favourite surf break to use in one of their beers, and Ben Dennis who translated his childhood love of fishing and the ocean into the spectacular Saltwater restaurant on the Newhaven jetty. On the mainland, there is a Grantville truffle producer, a self-sufficient garlic and vegetable grower, and Bassine Speciality Cheeses’ Glen Bisognin, who gives an insight into the tough job of dairy farming. Over the Bridge is the first book produced by Chicory Publishing, the newly established publishing arm of the Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser, a locally owned and fully independent newspaper. |
Editor Eleanor McKay said that when the pandemic hit many regional newspapers closed their doors for good, but the Advertiser’s owner was adamant it was more important than ever to keep telling local stories.
The book was another way to support the island’s food and hospitality industry, which was decimated by the pandemic.
It was designed on Phillip Island and printed in Melbourne. “Everyone who worked on it lives here and loves the area, so it’s local in every sense of the word. We also wanted the production to be as sustainable as possible, which is why we chose to print in Australia.”
The book was another way to support the island’s food and hospitality industry, which was decimated by the pandemic.
It was designed on Phillip Island and printed in Melbourne. “Everyone who worked on it lives here and loves the area, so it’s local in every sense of the word. We also wanted the production to be as sustainable as possible, which is why we chose to print in Australia.”